How We Create Change series:
The Impacts of Imposing Behaviour Change
by Eric Hellman
In my last article, I wrote about shifting from a “should or have to” attitude to an “I want to” approach towards sustainability. That is, helping people find internally-motivated actions which they actually want to do. In this article, I’d like to explore a practical situation of behaviour change – and how our best of intentions can create problems, if we leave out people’s thoughts, feelings & experiences.
A Major Goal to go Green
Six months ago, I moved from one major Canadian city to another. (Note: I’m deliberately omitting names, so as not to foster judgments or comparisons.)
My new community deeply values nature and the environment, so much so that its goal is to become the greenest city in the world by 2020. To accomplish this, the City has taken many initiatives including promoting LEED buildings and district heating, installing electric vehicle charging areas in city parks, expanding bike lanes, acting on climate change, plus moving towards zero waste, local food, a green economy and 100% renewable energy.
As part of this, one action it’s taken to “drive up the regional recycling rate” is to ban a number of waste materials – including paper and organic/food materials – from landfill. And that is where my story begins...
“What do I do with this, dear?”
When I arrived here, I stayed for a time in my mother’s condo building while looking for a new apartment. Because of my background in recycling, she would occasionally ask, “What do I do with this waste item? Is it for garbage or recycling?” My response was, “I’m not sure, Mum. It’s different in each city. Let me see I can find out.” So I went to the City’s website to see if they had more information. And it was there that I entered the black hole.
On their website is a feature called the “Waste Wizard.” (Many cities now have something similar.) You type in your waste item – in this case, “ice cream carton” – and it tells you what to do with it. However, this brought up only two options: “frozen dessert container” or “ice cream pail-plastic.” Since ours was paper, it clearly wasn’t the latter; but I wasn’t sure it was the former either. So I tried different words, trying to determine the right action. I then did the same for each item my mother (and now some of her neighbours) asked me about: milk cartons, different types of plastic wrap and bags, Kleenex, paper towels, hard plastic items without recycling codes, and so on. Sometimes the “Waste Wizard” could answer, sometimes not. But what it reminded me was how complex recycling has become.
The next thing she had concerns about was their new food waste recycling program. Building residents had been given strict instructions NOT to mix any ‘green waste’ with their garbage. However, many were upset because some people were still putting food scraps into the garbage bin. Stories were spreading that garbage collectors would soon be assessing the building fines, or not collecting their wastes at all, if this was discovered. This is also what people had heard on TV when the new City-wide program went into effect – and many were feeling a bit paranoid that the “garbage police” were about to descend.
The problem was further compounded by the fact that no one knew exactly what wastes could and couldn’t be composted. For example, biodegradable plastic containers (no), compostable bags (surprisingly, also no), bones (yes) ("But what about the rats, dear?"), disposable diapers (no), adult disposable garments (described as "incontinence pads" on the Waste Wizard) (no), oil or grease from last night’s hamburgers (yes). Each time my mother would ask her questions or pass on those from others, it was back to the Waste Wizard for me – once, twice, even three times a day.
As more queries started coming in, I decided to compile a “What goes where?” list for the building’s bulletin board. Knowing recycling pretty well, I figured it would be relatively simple. How wrong I was. Several weeks later, after contacting the garbage collection company (whose staff knew less than I did), calling City staff (who said it depended on whether the building had private or public collection), asking the Condo’s president (about which service they had - he didn’t know), calling the Condo management company, watching for what trucks were actually doing the pick-ups, plus searching multiple municipal websites and visiting the local Engineering department, I figured I had it straight. After more than three dozen consultations with the Waste Wizard, I printed up several pages of “recycling tips” for my mother’s review – only to find out that it wasn’t clear enough for her to understand. Several drafts later, these were given to the Condo president and the Management company rep (who, by the way, also thought there were cameras on the garbage trucks to identify recycling wrong-doers) for posting and distribution.
Not the only ones having problems
I soon discovered that many others across the City were having similar problems. For example:
- My cousin’s husband said his non-profit organization regularly rented its hall to other groups for parties & functions. However, these groups didn’t always separate their recycling and food wastes properly, and he was afraid that the “garbage police” were going to fine his group for these recycling crimes and misdemeanours. He’d called numerous City departments for information and guidance, but no one could provide any help.
- My brother in law, who lives in another part of the City, had demolished an old shed and needed to dispose of some drywall. It, too, had been banned from landfill, so what was he to do? The regulations said that if it was “pre-1990” drywall, it must be tested by a laboratory for asbestos before recycling or disposal. (Now really, who would go that far to deal with their garbage?) A neighbour he respected told him, “If I were you, I’d just bury it in the backyard.” After more research, he finally found a drywall recycling company - and then drove some miles out of his way to get there. (Consider the net energy costs on that one.)
- One rainy day, while walking in a major city park, I saw newspapers being blown around. Wanting to be a good citizen, I picked up half a dozen or more and walked over to a garbage container to dispose of them – only to discover a sign on top saying that paper was banned from landfill. What was I to do? Looking around for a recycling container, all I could find were bins marked “Bottles and beverage cans only.” There was literally nowhere I could legally put my trash! I eventually carried my soggy stash back to my mother’s condo, and ‘recycled’ it there.
- In my new apartment building, people put their garbage and recyclables into six different bins. And every time I am in the collection area, I see the wrong materials in each one. Residents simply don’t know exactly "what to put where." (This also creates significant challenges for the later, ‘downstream’ sorting and recycling of materials by government and industry.)
Have we gone too far?
When I decided to write this article, I thought I’d take one last, brief look at the City’s website to make sure I had my facts straight on what materials were acceptable or banned. More than two hours later, I was still at the computer and my head was reeling. The complexity of terms, definitions, regulations, different websites and conflicting information I found was staggering. (Remember, I have a background in recycling.) What is a “self-separated organic material” or “a banned ‘product stewardship’ material”? How does one know which plastics to recycle, since the city no longer uses the “recycling number code” to determine this? Where would garbage truck loads be checked to see if they contained offending materials, and when would surcharges be laid against truck operators if there were? And the list goes on...
Frustrated and tense from my research, I felt the need to lie down, take some deep breaths and relax, which I did. Then, all of a sudden, I began to laugh. I literally started rocking back and forth with ever-growing belly laughs as the thought came to me: How absurd this has all become. How very well meaning... and how utterly crazy. Who in their right mind is going to abide by all these rules and regulations? In fact, who could possibly do so, even if they wanted to? Most people would never have the time or interest to research things as far as I had. And quite frankly, who would want to... except perhaps a recycling nerd like me.
So what can we learn from all this?
When we have the goal of going green, it would seem to make total sense: Ban certain materials from garbage in order to promote recycling. However, the logic begins to get foggy when we consider how people actually respond to such directives.
First, think of the word “ban” and what it brings up for you. Is it something positive or negative? If this required a change in your behaviour, is it something you’d likely want to do or feel you had to? And if the latter, how might you be left feeling – perhaps ticked off, angry, or worried if you don’t comply?
Second, think about the types of garbage we are throwing out. Today’s wastes are so diverse and complex that most people don’t know what to do with them. (Consider a Pringles chip container as but one example, which contains metal, plastic, paper and a foil wrapper.) Even experts barely know what to do for all the different items.
Third, communities now assume that because they have information available on their websites, the public will (a) know this, and (b) take the time to read it. But how realistic is that? Consider for a moment ‘the public’ we are actually serving. How many people today are single parents working two jobs, seniors without great computer skills (or computers at all), people for whom English is a second language (if they speak/read it at all). Then add in how busy everyone is and the amount of information we all have to stay on top of. How much more can we really ask or expect from people?
With all the instructions, regulations and banned substances today, it has become literally impossible to follow them all. As a result, everyone is doing recycling “wrong” in some way. And that has an impact on us. It leads to frustration, guilt, judgment (“what’s wrong with those people”), or feelings of ”to heck with it” for people across the system: citizens, building managers, waste collectors, City staff. Is that really what we want to create?
Going back to the roots of why we’re doing this...
What launched our current mass movement to recycle (in Canada, at least) was the Blue Box program. Because of its success, this became the model for many of the multi-material recycling programs across the country and in other parts of the world. However, two main elements of it have frequently been lost along the way: 1) simplicity, and 2) inherent motivation.
The first Blue Box project was designed to help people recycle by making it convenient and easy to participate, with little extra effort. It was also built on solid education; give people the information they need to take part. (Without that, the quality of materials will fall and make it more (or too) costly to recycle.) But there was also one more key ingredient: Give people encouragement and support to contribute to the wellbeing of our world. It’s supposed to inspire us and feel good!
This is why “You can make a difference” became the core slogan associated with the program. We believed that people wanted ways to express their caring, and that recycling was one small but powerful way to do that. That was why the blue box took off. People wanted it, and were asking for it even before it came to their community. But it’s ALSO why that language got launched into common public usage, and grew like wildfire around the world. People really do want to “make a difference.”
Think of the energy behind that phrase. Now contrast it with the idea of a ban: “You can’t put your organics or paper into garbage. If you do, you will be fined for not participating.” Both have the goal of diverting waste from landfill; but which one is more alive, empowering and inspiring? Which program would you rather take part in?
We all have too much to do...
The complexity of our lives is now exceeding our ability to cope. From emails, blogs, tweets, and texts to coping with work demands, learning new technologies, running a small business (isn’t everyone?) or dealing with government, each one adds another ‘straw on the camel’s back.’
When we live under pressure, people start to resist, act grudgingly, and object. If we think no one cares or is listening, we then turn off – or lash out, at others and the system. I believe that’s what we are seeing in the world today. Add to this the fear of losing our jobs, pensions, national security or environmental security, is it any wonder that people are feeling like they have no power or control, or that others are controlling their lives?
Recycling should not be adding to this. While the goal of diverting more waste is admirable, when the process leaves people more stressed or frustrated, we’ve missed the deeper objective. When we see that people don’t know what to do, or hear them talking about “garbage police,” these are signs we are going in the wrong direction.
This doesn’t mean we never ban or regulate against certain actions. But when we do, we also need to consider how it will practically affect people, and how it will leave them feeling. We need to ask questions like, “Will this be more convenient or less? Can people actually do this, and will they? Is it too complex to follow?” And perhaps the biggest one of all: “Would I do this myself?”
Recycling, social change, and sustainability aren’t just about getting people to change behaviour. They’re about tapping the natural desire everyone has to care, contribute, and make the world a better place. They’re also about encouraging and supporting people to do something that inspires us, and expresses the best in us – and in so doing, elevates our humanity.
So how do we do more of that?
__________________________
Eric Hellman is a communications and change coach, and a co-founder of the first Blue Box project. He can be reached here.
(A short version of this article is also posted on sustreport.org.)
The Impacts of Imposing Behaviour Change
by Eric Hellman
In my last article, I wrote about shifting from a “should or have to” attitude to an “I want to” approach towards sustainability. That is, helping people find internally-motivated actions which they actually want to do. In this article, I’d like to explore a practical situation of behaviour change – and how our best of intentions can create problems, if we leave out people’s thoughts, feelings & experiences.
A Major Goal to go Green
Six months ago, I moved from one major Canadian city to another. (Note: I’m deliberately omitting names, so as not to foster judgments or comparisons.)
My new community deeply values nature and the environment, so much so that its goal is to become the greenest city in the world by 2020. To accomplish this, the City has taken many initiatives including promoting LEED buildings and district heating, installing electric vehicle charging areas in city parks, expanding bike lanes, acting on climate change, plus moving towards zero waste, local food, a green economy and 100% renewable energy.
As part of this, one action it’s taken to “drive up the regional recycling rate” is to ban a number of waste materials – including paper and organic/food materials – from landfill. And that is where my story begins...
“What do I do with this, dear?”
When I arrived here, I stayed for a time in my mother’s condo building while looking for a new apartment. Because of my background in recycling, she would occasionally ask, “What do I do with this waste item? Is it for garbage or recycling?” My response was, “I’m not sure, Mum. It’s different in each city. Let me see I can find out.” So I went to the City’s website to see if they had more information. And it was there that I entered the black hole.
On their website is a feature called the “Waste Wizard.” (Many cities now have something similar.) You type in your waste item – in this case, “ice cream carton” – and it tells you what to do with it. However, this brought up only two options: “frozen dessert container” or “ice cream pail-plastic.” Since ours was paper, it clearly wasn’t the latter; but I wasn’t sure it was the former either. So I tried different words, trying to determine the right action. I then did the same for each item my mother (and now some of her neighbours) asked me about: milk cartons, different types of plastic wrap and bags, Kleenex, paper towels, hard plastic items without recycling codes, and so on. Sometimes the “Waste Wizard” could answer, sometimes not. But what it reminded me was how complex recycling has become.
The next thing she had concerns about was their new food waste recycling program. Building residents had been given strict instructions NOT to mix any ‘green waste’ with their garbage. However, many were upset because some people were still putting food scraps into the garbage bin. Stories were spreading that garbage collectors would soon be assessing the building fines, or not collecting their wastes at all, if this was discovered. This is also what people had heard on TV when the new City-wide program went into effect – and many were feeling a bit paranoid that the “garbage police” were about to descend.
The problem was further compounded by the fact that no one knew exactly what wastes could and couldn’t be composted. For example, biodegradable plastic containers (no), compostable bags (surprisingly, also no), bones (yes) ("But what about the rats, dear?"), disposable diapers (no), adult disposable garments (described as "incontinence pads" on the Waste Wizard) (no), oil or grease from last night’s hamburgers (yes). Each time my mother would ask her questions or pass on those from others, it was back to the Waste Wizard for me – once, twice, even three times a day.
As more queries started coming in, I decided to compile a “What goes where?” list for the building’s bulletin board. Knowing recycling pretty well, I figured it would be relatively simple. How wrong I was. Several weeks later, after contacting the garbage collection company (whose staff knew less than I did), calling City staff (who said it depended on whether the building had private or public collection), asking the Condo’s president (about which service they had - he didn’t know), calling the Condo management company, watching for what trucks were actually doing the pick-ups, plus searching multiple municipal websites and visiting the local Engineering department, I figured I had it straight. After more than three dozen consultations with the Waste Wizard, I printed up several pages of “recycling tips” for my mother’s review – only to find out that it wasn’t clear enough for her to understand. Several drafts later, these were given to the Condo president and the Management company rep (who, by the way, also thought there were cameras on the garbage trucks to identify recycling wrong-doers) for posting and distribution.
Not the only ones having problems
I soon discovered that many others across the City were having similar problems. For example:
- My cousin’s husband said his non-profit organization regularly rented its hall to other groups for parties & functions. However, these groups didn’t always separate their recycling and food wastes properly, and he was afraid that the “garbage police” were going to fine his group for these recycling crimes and misdemeanours. He’d called numerous City departments for information and guidance, but no one could provide any help.
- My brother in law, who lives in another part of the City, had demolished an old shed and needed to dispose of some drywall. It, too, had been banned from landfill, so what was he to do? The regulations said that if it was “pre-1990” drywall, it must be tested by a laboratory for asbestos before recycling or disposal. (Now really, who would go that far to deal with their garbage?) A neighbour he respected told him, “If I were you, I’d just bury it in the backyard.” After more research, he finally found a drywall recycling company - and then drove some miles out of his way to get there. (Consider the net energy costs on that one.)
- One rainy day, while walking in a major city park, I saw newspapers being blown around. Wanting to be a good citizen, I picked up half a dozen or more and walked over to a garbage container to dispose of them – only to discover a sign on top saying that paper was banned from landfill. What was I to do? Looking around for a recycling container, all I could find were bins marked “Bottles and beverage cans only.” There was literally nowhere I could legally put my trash! I eventually carried my soggy stash back to my mother’s condo, and ‘recycled’ it there.
- In my new apartment building, people put their garbage and recyclables into six different bins. And every time I am in the collection area, I see the wrong materials in each one. Residents simply don’t know exactly "what to put where." (This also creates significant challenges for the later, ‘downstream’ sorting and recycling of materials by government and industry.)
Have we gone too far?
When I decided to write this article, I thought I’d take one last, brief look at the City’s website to make sure I had my facts straight on what materials were acceptable or banned. More than two hours later, I was still at the computer and my head was reeling. The complexity of terms, definitions, regulations, different websites and conflicting information I found was staggering. (Remember, I have a background in recycling.) What is a “self-separated organic material” or “a banned ‘product stewardship’ material”? How does one know which plastics to recycle, since the city no longer uses the “recycling number code” to determine this? Where would garbage truck loads be checked to see if they contained offending materials, and when would surcharges be laid against truck operators if there were? And the list goes on...
Frustrated and tense from my research, I felt the need to lie down, take some deep breaths and relax, which I did. Then, all of a sudden, I began to laugh. I literally started rocking back and forth with ever-growing belly laughs as the thought came to me: How absurd this has all become. How very well meaning... and how utterly crazy. Who in their right mind is going to abide by all these rules and regulations? In fact, who could possibly do so, even if they wanted to? Most people would never have the time or interest to research things as far as I had. And quite frankly, who would want to... except perhaps a recycling nerd like me.
So what can we learn from all this?
When we have the goal of going green, it would seem to make total sense: Ban certain materials from garbage in order to promote recycling. However, the logic begins to get foggy when we consider how people actually respond to such directives.
First, think of the word “ban” and what it brings up for you. Is it something positive or negative? If this required a change in your behaviour, is it something you’d likely want to do or feel you had to? And if the latter, how might you be left feeling – perhaps ticked off, angry, or worried if you don’t comply?
Second, think about the types of garbage we are throwing out. Today’s wastes are so diverse and complex that most people don’t know what to do with them. (Consider a Pringles chip container as but one example, which contains metal, plastic, paper and a foil wrapper.) Even experts barely know what to do for all the different items.
Third, communities now assume that because they have information available on their websites, the public will (a) know this, and (b) take the time to read it. But how realistic is that? Consider for a moment ‘the public’ we are actually serving. How many people today are single parents working two jobs, seniors without great computer skills (or computers at all), people for whom English is a second language (if they speak/read it at all). Then add in how busy everyone is and the amount of information we all have to stay on top of. How much more can we really ask or expect from people?
With all the instructions, regulations and banned substances today, it has become literally impossible to follow them all. As a result, everyone is doing recycling “wrong” in some way. And that has an impact on us. It leads to frustration, guilt, judgment (“what’s wrong with those people”), or feelings of ”to heck with it” for people across the system: citizens, building managers, waste collectors, City staff. Is that really what we want to create?
Going back to the roots of why we’re doing this...
What launched our current mass movement to recycle (in Canada, at least) was the Blue Box program. Because of its success, this became the model for many of the multi-material recycling programs across the country and in other parts of the world. However, two main elements of it have frequently been lost along the way: 1) simplicity, and 2) inherent motivation.
The first Blue Box project was designed to help people recycle by making it convenient and easy to participate, with little extra effort. It was also built on solid education; give people the information they need to take part. (Without that, the quality of materials will fall and make it more (or too) costly to recycle.) But there was also one more key ingredient: Give people encouragement and support to contribute to the wellbeing of our world. It’s supposed to inspire us and feel good!
This is why “You can make a difference” became the core slogan associated with the program. We believed that people wanted ways to express their caring, and that recycling was one small but powerful way to do that. That was why the blue box took off. People wanted it, and were asking for it even before it came to their community. But it’s ALSO why that language got launched into common public usage, and grew like wildfire around the world. People really do want to “make a difference.”
Think of the energy behind that phrase. Now contrast it with the idea of a ban: “You can’t put your organics or paper into garbage. If you do, you will be fined for not participating.” Both have the goal of diverting waste from landfill; but which one is more alive, empowering and inspiring? Which program would you rather take part in?
We all have too much to do...
The complexity of our lives is now exceeding our ability to cope. From emails, blogs, tweets, and texts to coping with work demands, learning new technologies, running a small business (isn’t everyone?) or dealing with government, each one adds another ‘straw on the camel’s back.’
When we live under pressure, people start to resist, act grudgingly, and object. If we think no one cares or is listening, we then turn off – or lash out, at others and the system. I believe that’s what we are seeing in the world today. Add to this the fear of losing our jobs, pensions, national security or environmental security, is it any wonder that people are feeling like they have no power or control, or that others are controlling their lives?
Recycling should not be adding to this. While the goal of diverting more waste is admirable, when the process leaves people more stressed or frustrated, we’ve missed the deeper objective. When we see that people don’t know what to do, or hear them talking about “garbage police,” these are signs we are going in the wrong direction.
This doesn’t mean we never ban or regulate against certain actions. But when we do, we also need to consider how it will practically affect people, and how it will leave them feeling. We need to ask questions like, “Will this be more convenient or less? Can people actually do this, and will they? Is it too complex to follow?” And perhaps the biggest one of all: “Would I do this myself?”
Recycling, social change, and sustainability aren’t just about getting people to change behaviour. They’re about tapping the natural desire everyone has to care, contribute, and make the world a better place. They’re also about encouraging and supporting people to do something that inspires us, and expresses the best in us – and in so doing, elevates our humanity.
So how do we do more of that?
__________________________
Eric Hellman is a communications and change coach, and a co-founder of the first Blue Box project. He can be reached here.
(A short version of this article is also posted on sustreport.org.)